Air separator for liquids



April 15, I952 A. 1., GRISE 2,592,535

AIR SEPARA'I'OR FOR LIQUIDS Filed May 4, 1950 2 SHEETS SHEET 1 INVENTOIRflLF-WED L. 63165 ATTOR EYs BY ma myw A. L. GRISE.

AIR SEPARATOR FOR LIQUIDS April 15, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 4.1950 INVENTOR A1. ma Lo GIT/6E BY CZQ MQ A TURN S Patented Apr. 15, 1952AIR SEPARATOR FOR LIQUIDS Alfred L. Grise, Springfield, Mass., assignorto Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company,

West Springfield, Mass.,

Massachusetts a corporation of Application May 4, 1950, Serial No.159,924

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in air separators, such, forexample, as are suitable for use in gasoline measuring and dispensingpumps for removing air from the pumped gasoline before it enters themeter.

The invention has for its object the provision of an air separator ofimproved construction which enables efiicient separation of air at arapid rate with a substantially less volumetric capacity than hasheretofore been necessary in separators for the purpose described.

The invention also has for an object the provision in an air separatorof improved constructional features which enable substantial economiesin manufacture to be efiected without impairing the efiiciency ofseparation of air from liquid.

These and other objects of the invention will more particularly appearfrom the following description of one illustrative example of the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an air separator embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the separator;

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sectional views taken on the lines 44 and 5-5,respectively of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the separator; and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Referring to these drawings; the separator includes a three part casing(Fig. 2) consisting of a hollow cylindrical body I, having flanges 2 and3 one at each end thereof, and heads 4 and 5 having flanges 6 and Iwhich match the flanges 2 and 3 and are respectively secured thereto,with gaskets 9 interposed between, as by a plurality of cap screws 8(Fig. 3). This casing is intended to be supported with the axis of thecylindrical body horizontal or substantially so.

The pipe connections for the separator are all made with the bodyportion I, so that the heads may be removed if and when required withoutdoing any more than removing the cap screws 8. Formed on the lowerportion of the body I is a portion In which is outwardly offset from theouter periphery of the body and which extends from flange 2longitudinally of the body to a point about midway between the twoflanges 2 and 3, where it terminates with a pad II, having a pluralityof tapped holes I2 therein for attaching the flanged outlet of a pump orthe delivery pipe of a pump, as the case may be. This offset portion IIIhas cored therein a longitudinal passage I3, having a vertical entranceI4 in pad II and a horizontal exit i5 in flange 2. A similar offsetportion I6 is formed in the upper part of body I and has a pad IT withtapped holes I8 therein to enable attachment thereto of the flangedinlet end of a meter or a delivery pipe, as the case may be. This offsetportion I3 has a cored passage I9 therein with a horizontal entrance 20in flange 3 and a vertical exit 2! in pad I1.

Referring next to Fig. 4, the endless flange B of head 4 is annular,except for a single U- shaped offset portion 22 surrounding a recess 23,which leads outwardly from a larger and dish-shaped recess 24 in head 4,such recess being embordered by the annular portion of flange 6. Thisrecess 24 is converted into a chamber by means of a segmented circularplate 25 of thin sheet metal. The head 4 has a shallow annular groove 25therein, which is embordered by the annular portion of flange 6 andwhich receives the thin plate 25. The depth of groove 26 equals thethickness of plate 25 so that the outer face of the plate lies in thesame plane as that face of flange 6, which is clamped against gasket 9and to flange 2. The head 4 has two cylindrical posts 21 projecting fromits inner face and extending to the inner face of plate 25, which isfixed to these posts by screws 28. The curved margin of plate 25 ispressed against the adjacent end of the cylindrical body I to close theright hand end of the opening therein, except for a segment-shapedopening 219 above the horizontal and weir-like edge 29 of the plate.This is the opening provided by the segmentation of the plate. Thisplate covers only a small portion of recess 23, which registers with thedescribed exit l5 of passage I3. Thus, liquid containing air enters theseparator at I4 and passes through passage I3, exit I5, recess 23,chamber 24, over Weir 29 and through opening 29 into the right handportion of the cylindrical opening in body I, hereinafter called theinlet chamber 30.

Intermediate the ends of the body I and within its hollow interior, isan internal annular flange 32, against which abuts a roll 33 of crinkledwire-mesh fabric. This roll 33 partitions the hollow interior body Iinto two cylindrical chambers, one, the described inlet chamber 39 andthe other, a chamber 34, located on the outlet side. The flange 32 mayhave upper and lower diametrically-opposite recesses 35 therein toreceive, one in each, the ends of a thin bar 36, which extendsdiametrically across the chamber 34 and serves to prevent axialdeflection of the central portion of roll 33 under the pressure ofliquid and in the direction of liquid flow.

The head is an exact duplicate of head 4. This will be clear from Figs.2 and 5. It has a similar thin segmented-circular plate 31, similarlymounted in a groove in 38 in the head and held in place by screws 39threaded intoposts 46!. However, the head 5 is turned 180 from head 4 sothat the segment-shaped opening 4! lies below the horizontal edge '42..-of" the..plate and communicates with the bottom of chamber 34. Thechamber 43 in head 5 has its exit at its upper end in a recess 44, whichis surrounded by an inverted U-shaped oifset 45 in the flange l of head5 and which registers with the entrance 2B of passage l9. Thus, air-freeliquid takenv from the bottom of outletv chamber 34 passes out. throughopening 4|; chamber 43, re-

cess-44, entrance passage l9 through exit 21 -whichr ise'ttothe topofthe chamber. The outer endof passage-46 receives the pipe-threaded endof a compression. coupling 48. The inner end 7 of this coupling isclosed except for a single very small opening therethrough, having adiameter of. for example .12 inch. The coupling 48 is adapted to connectwith copper tubing 50,

which leads to a suitable liquid recovery chamber, such for example asthat shown in Fig. 3 of De Lancey PatentNo. 2,134,686, granted Novemberl, 1938.

Thelbody at itslowest portion has a drainopening 5! normally closed'byapipe'plug 52.

The body I and theiheads 4 and 5 are designed so that they may be madeby die casting. No machining operations are required except the tappingof such of the die-cast holes as require it (26 as herein shown). Theplates 21 and 31 are stamped from sheet metal with the necessary holestherein. These plates are duplicates as are the heads 4' and 5. Thus,there are only three kinds of principal'parts needed to make up theseparator casing and these may be constructedin quantities at low unitcost.

The roll 33 is' a crinkled, wire-mesh coalescing pack. Itis made up-of asuitable length of a fabric constructed of fine wire, preferably ofnon-corrosive metal, such as Monel metal. This metal is woven into atubular fabric, which is flattened down, forming a two-ply strip, whichis then crimped and finally wound into roll form. This roll is astandard article available in the market and can be procured in anydiameters and widths desired. The roll presents a compact mass ofinterfitting and intertangled wires and provides a very great number ofvery small interstices. The passages through the mass are exceedinglyfine and necessarily tortuous.

The coalescing roll 33 frictionally engages the peripheral wall ofchamber 30. and is held in axial position againstfiange 32 by pressureof the liquid. The roll 33 may readily be removed liquid. flow throughthe separator.

uid. Very small bubbles are made into big ones.

The small bubbles are slow to rise in the liquid and, since separationis by gravity, a larger volume of the separating chamber would benecessaryto get outall the air at the same rate of However, if the smallbubbles in the liquid in the right hand or inlet chamber 30 of theseparator are made to combine with others during their passage throughthe roll 33 so that large bubbles emerge with the liquid into the lefthand or outlet chamber 34, these-large bubbles will rise rapidly throughthe liquidand. enable the same degree of effectiveness of air separationto be effected at the same rateof flow. with a much smaller volumetriccapacity of the separator. In the present-example, theseparator has avolume of 131 cubicinchesand liquid leaves its outlet at the rate of 15gallons a. ;mi nute. The-described volume is a reduction ofapproximately twothirds in the volumetric capacity whichcould benecessary in a separator not having a coalescing pack, such as hereindescribed;

The air bubbles, risin in chamber 34, collect in: the uppermostportionthereoi and." pass out through passagej46-and:finallythrough thevery smallgexitopening;49- to' a suitable liquid recovery chamber. Byelongating the inlet 41 ofpassage 46, the entrance of'airi'bubbles intothe passage is fa-cilitated. The small exit opening ,49 presentslittleresistance to the passage of air but much more resistance toliquid. In normal operation, after the separator chamber is once filledwith liquid, someliquid will escape with the air through the exit 49:and be separated therefrom in the liquid recovery chamber in the wellknown manner.

The invention thus provides an air separator of improved constructionand small volume,

each of the two opposite ends of the opening in said body, a coalescingpack in roll form located inside said body intermediate the ends thereofand dividing the interior of the body into two cylindrical chambers,each head having an endless flange of annular form except for a singleU-shaped outward oifset therein and having a recess embordered by saidflange, a thin segmerited-circular plate fixed to each head and formingtherebetween a chamber closed except for a segment-shaped. openingprovided by segmentation of said plate and a diametrically oppositeopening beyond the periphery of the plate into the space within theoffset portion of the flange, said heads being reversely arranged withthe offset portion of the flange of one turned downwardly and the otherturned upwardly, said body having in its lower and upper portionslongitudinally-disposedinlet and outlet passages,

respectively, communicating at one end with the space within thedownturned and upturned offset portions, said inlet and outlet passagesterminating at locations between the ends of the body with downturnedand upturned entrance and exit openings.

2. In an air separator, a body having a cylindrical opening therethroughand adapted to be supported with the axis of such opening disposedsubstantially horizontally, heads one for closing each of the twoopposite ends of the opening in said body, a coalescing pack in rollform located inside said body intermediate the ends thereof and dividingthe interior of the body into two cylindrical chambers, each head havingan endless flange of annular form except for a single U-shaped outwardoflset therein and having a recess embordered by said flange and havingalso an annular groove the outside diameter of which is greater than thediameter of either chamber and less than the outside diameter of theannular part of said flange, thin segmented-circular plates one for eachhead, each plate being mounted in the annular groove in its head withits inner face in the same plane as the inner face of said flange, theinner face of the circular marginal portion of the plate in each headand the inner face of the flange of such head adapted to abut an endface of the body to close the adjacent chamber in the body except forthe single segment-shaped opening provided by the segmentation of theplate, posts on each head to which its plate is fixed, the head at oneend of the body having its ofi'set extending downwardly and the head atthe other end of the body having its offset extending upwardly, saidbody having an offset in the lower portion abutting at one end thedownwardly extending offset in one head and extending longitudinally ofthe body to a point between the ends there, said body offset having aninlet passage with its entrance turned downwardly and its exit openingregistering with the space within the offset portion of the flange inthe last-named head, said body having in its upper portion an oiTsetabutting at one end with the upturned offset in the other head andextending longitudinally and terminating at a point between the ends ofthe body, the last-named body offset having an outlet passage with itsentrance communicating with the space within .iii

the U-shaped portion of the flange of the lastnamed head and its exitupturned.

3. An air separator, comprising, a body having a cylindrical openingtherethrough and adapted to be supported with the axis of such openingsubstantially horizontal, heads fixed one to each end of said cylinderfor closing said opening, one said head having therein an inlet passagefor mixed liquid and air opening into the upper end of said opening, theother head having therein an outlet passage for air-free liquidconnecting with said opening at the lower end thereof, a coalescing packin roll form closely fitting in said cylindrical opening intermediatethe ends thereof and dividing such opening into inlet and outletchambers, said body having in its upper portion an outlet passage forseparated air, said passage having a portion of relatively largediameter located with its axis at an acute angle to the axis of saidopening and intersecting the uppermost portion of the periphery of saidopening with an elliptical entrance located between said pack and thehead having the outlet passage, the major axis of the elliptical openingbeing parallel to the axis of said cylindrical opening, said air outletpassage having a constantly open exit of very small diameter enablingfree outflow of air but retarding the outflow of liquid, small airbubbles contained in the liquid in the inlet chamber being coalescedwhile passing through said pack into large bubbles which rise rapidly tothe top of the outlet chamber and enter said elliptical opening and passout through said air outlet passage.

ALFRED L. GRISE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,957,418 Willson May 1, 19341,962,631 Winter June 12, 1934 2,296,543 Steen et al Sept. 22, 1942FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 157,789 Great Britain Dec. 15, 1921

